Will Monarch butterflies leave eggs that the caterpillars will eat my plants?

[Zboltman]

This year we have been blessed with multiple Monarch butterflies all around our garden and yard.
They are bueautiful and we love them.
Are they laying eggs? Will the baby caterpillars eat our plants?
Should we just leave it be and let them feed? (My poor herbs and veges...)
We really do not like the little white butterflies. They leave bad eggs that the caterpillars eat everything.
O look; A Butterfly flutter by!

 

[Meadowlark]

...Are they laying eggs? Will the baby caterpillars eat our plants?
Should we just leave it be and let them feed?

I've researched this in the past and all the research says, "Female monarch butterflies lay their eggs only on milkweed plants, and monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves."

Pretty simple. It's all about milkweed and only milkweed for Monarchs laying eggs and their caterpillars eating anything.

Do you have milkweed present around the garden?

...Should we just leave it be and let them feed? (My poor herbs and veges...)

Not to worry at all about your herbs and veggies.

...We really do not like the little white butterflies. They leave bad eggs that the caterpillars eat everything.
O look; A Butterfly flutter by!

Probably Cabbage Whites...and they are another "specialist" butterfly with their preferred food brassicas.

This year we have been blessed with multiple Monarch butterflies all around our garden and yard.
They are bueautiful and we love them.

You are blessed. They are magnificent creatures and deserve every protection you can provide them.

 

[Martin Mikulcik]

Monarch caterpillars are very distinct too and I've only seen them around milkweed, if it's a bright green one in the garden, it's probably a cabbage white unless it's ginormous then its a tobacco horn worm

 

[Gemma]

This year we have been blessed with multiple Monarch butterflies all around our garden and yard.
They are bueautiful and we love them.
Are they laying eggs? Will the baby caterpillars eat our plants?
Should we just leave it be and let them feed? (My poor herbs and veges...)
We really do not like the little white butterflies. They leave bad eggs that the caterpillars eat everything.
O look; A Butterfly flutter by!

I feel the same way, I love butterflies but I don't want them to feed on my plants, so hope it is as @Meadowlark said and I'm going to get some milkweed next year to find out

 

[Meadowlark]

I feel the same way, I love butterflies but I don't want them to feed on my plants, so hope it is as @Meadowlark said and I'm going to get some milkweed next year to find out

Let us know how it turns out @Gemma I promise not to say I told you so.

 

[Gemma]

Let us know how it turns out @Gemma I promise not to say I told you so.

I will share for sure!
I do get a few Monarch butterflies, I don't have any milkweed, what have the larva been eating?

 

[Meadowlark]

I will share for sure!
I do get a few Monarch butterflies, I don't have any milkweed, what have the larva been eating?

The Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed...period.

Don't believe me...check it out online. Here is just one of hundreds of articles saying the same thing.

What Do Monarch Butterflies Eat? Food Sources Explained

Monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed, while adults drink nectar from zinnias, coneflowers, and lantana. Here is their complete diet by life stage.

butterflyboogie.com